


a weight is lifted on this evening

by prouveyrac



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, virgil is having a night and roman is there to listen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:27:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24359569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prouveyrac/pseuds/prouveyrac
Summary: “Well,” Virgil said, swallowing thickly as he looked down at the ground and shuffled his feet, “Uh, what’s up?”“Well,” Roman began slowly, dragging out the word. He unlaced his fingers and, instead, scratched at the wood of the kitchen table. His movements, how carefully he was choosing his next words, it did nothing to soothe the nerves gnawing at Virgil’s mind. “When you are feeling particularly… tense, your thoughts start to… pull from my realm.”The coffee machine, finishing its brew, beeped. Virgil ignored it, or perhaps his feet just refused to move from their spot.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Prinxiety, platonic Prinxiety
Comments: 4
Kudos: 152





	a weight is lifted on this evening

**Author's Note:**

> content: hurt/comfort, platonic prinxiety, self-indulgence 
> 
> based off the prompt: “i’m just looking out for you”

When Virgil trudged around the corner into the Mindscape’s kitchen, headphones on and blasting at a volume that was still too low to drown out his thoughts, his steps momentarily faltered at finding Roman already sitting at the dining table with a cup of something steaming nestled in his hands.

Pausing his music, he slid off his headphones and let them hang around his neck. He arched an eyebrow at Roman. “Coffee at three A.M., huh?” He turned and began rifling through one of the cabinets aimlessly. Honestly, he had just wanted to sit in a room that wasn’t so _loud,_ but if he was just going to get stuck in small talk- “I promise I won’t tell Logan if you won’t tell Patton.”

And he pulled down the coffee container. His heart was already thumping in his chest, it couldn’t get much worse.

Roman laughed softly behind him as Virgil, mostly just trying to do something with his hands, prepared a cup. “So you can’t sleep either?”

Virgil snorted. “This can’t be new information to you, Princey.”

“No, not exactly…”

Maybe it was just the way Roman trailed off, or maybe it was Virgil’s frayed nerves, but he swore he could feel Roman’s eyes burning into his back as he fumbled with the buttons of the coffee machine.

When he looked over his shoulder and found Roman looking back at him with tired eyes over the rim of his cup, he tried to not tense his shoulders too much. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”

Roman smiled and set his cup down. In the dim glow of the lights, Virgil could see his face flush. “Sorry, Virge.”

Virgil smirked and turned back to his brewing coffee.

After a couple beats of silence, Roman sighed. “But on the subject of our… _sleeping habits_ …”

Virgil frowned and, slowly, turned to face Roman. “Hey Roman?”

“Yeah?”

“That is the weirdest fucking way to begin a sentence.”

Roman, rolling his eyes, waved his hand flippantly. “Well how _else_ am I supposed to begin?”

Virgil shrugged. “I don’t know, normally?”

“Well, this isn’t exactly-!” Roman cut himself off and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “This conversation wasn’t supposed to start like this.”

Virgil, who was ready to make another quip about Roman’s abysmmal late-night conversation skills, froze. Instead, perhaps pre-defensively, he crossed his arms. “What- what is that supposed to mean?”

“It means I need- _want_ to talk to you.”

Virgil’s stomach twisted in a way that was a bit too nauseating. “Whatever I did, I didn’t mean-”

“No, no,” Roman interrupted, shaking his head with a smile. “It’s not something like that, don’t worry.”

“Like _that’s_ easy,” Virgil said, perhaps with a bit too much bite. He flinched when Roman’s smile, even just for a moment, faltered. “I- shit, sorry, I didn’t- I know what you-” He sighed and, tilting his head up towards the ceiling, squeezed his eyes shut tight. “Just- sorry.”

“Virgil, it’s fine,” Roman assured. “Just… I guess that’s what I want to talk about?”

It was the surprise that drove Virgil to open his eyes and look back down at Roman, who flashed him a speeish smile.

“That still doesn’t really take the edge off, Ro.”

Roman sighed and nodded. “So I figured.”

“Well,” Virgil said, swallowing thickly as he looked down at the ground and shuffled his feet, “Uh, what’s up?”

“Well,” Roman began slowly, dragging out the word. He unlaced his fingers and, instead, scratched at the wood of the kitchen table. His movements, how carefully he was choosing his next words, it did nothing to soothe the nerves gnawing at Virgil’s mind. “When you are feeling particularly… _tense,_ your thoughts start to… pull from my realm.”

The coffee machine, finishing its brew, beeped. Virgil ignored it, or perhaps his feet just refused to move from their spot.

Instead, he became immediately aware at how dry his mouth was.

“And I’ve… noticed this on occasion,” Roman continued, cautiously eyeing Virgil. “All the sides do it, really. I am Creativity, after all. If you are to create… well, I’ll know. And it can be a bit… distracting for me as well.”

Virgil nodded quickly, in beat with his racing heart.

“And- and I swear I’m not complaining!” Roman put his hands up in slight defense. “I- I’m not trying to bitch at you or- or even make a scene! I’ve just been noticing that… lately, your pull has been a bit more… _forceful_ than normal.” He then sighed, running a hand through his tousled hair. “I didn’t know how to bring it up before tonight but- and, Virgil, I’m just looking out for you-”

“I- I-” Virgil stammered, his eyes darting around to everything but Roman, “I’m fine. Just- same shit, different day, you know?”

When his eyes fell back to Roman, he winced at the sad smile he wore (and Virgil tried not to focus on the dark circles under his eyes, evidence of his own lack of sleep).

“I didn’t know it affected you too,” Virgil finally whispered.

“Virgil, this will be the first and only time I ever say this,” Roman said, keeping the smile on his face, “But forget about me. I’m worried about _you.”_

Virgil bit his bottom lip and looked down, shuffling his feet again. Finally, he laughed bitterly and said, “Fuck, you’ve really gone soft for me, huh?”

Roman laughed, too. “The price of friendship.”

Virgil let himself smile for a moment before sighing. Looking up, he dragged a hand through his hair and pulled. “I’m… I’m really tired.”

Roman nodded.

“I’m always tired.” More so because he wanted something to do with his hands again, Virgil turned back to the coffee machine and, taking a mug from the drainboard, poured himself a cup. Keeping his back to Roman, he shut his eyes tight and shook his head. “I’m… tired of being tired.”

“How about you come sit?” Roman asked softly.

Virgil, after only a slight hesitation, sighed again and, walking to the table, took the chair across from Roman. Keeping his eyes trained on the mug, he absentmindedly scratched at the design, chipping some of the paint off.

“I… I just can’t stop being tired,” he said.

Roman nodded. “I-” He began, and then cut himself off for a couple more moments. “Honestly, I don’t know if I have any… advice that could help. I—all of us, really—understand, even just a bit, what you feel and go through but, at the end of the day, we don’t _know.”_ Virgil nodded and Roman sighed. “But—and only if you want!—I can be here to listen.”

Virgil couldn’t help but let a light laugh escape. “Listening without monologing,” he joked. “Roman, I’m shocked.”

Roman smiled. “Consider it a gift.”

The smile remained on Virgil’s lips for a few seconds longer before slipping off again. “I can never get my brain to turn off,” he said quietly. “When Thomas is awake, I’m focused on the things that he’s dealing with. All of it. All the time. And when he’s sleeping… I’m left to deal with everything else. The past. The future. _Now._ It’s…” He sighed and shrugged, “Exhausting.”

Roman nodded.

“And it’s just-” He looked up at the ceiling, breathing deeply “-It’s not just your room, either. I- I don’t mean to. It’s just… my thoughts pull from your room to make things more _vivid,_ and from Logan’s room to make things more _accurate,_ and from Patton’s to make things more _weighted,_ and just… it all becomes this fucked up shitstorm.”

He tugged at the loose threads of his jacket, thinking for a moment. Roman, patiently, waited.

“I think I was just made to take the bad from everyone else because, honestly, I can’t remember the last time I went more than a day without…” And he trailed off, waving to himself. If his eyes were geting a bit blurry, he ignored it.

And when Roman watched him stubbornly rub at his eyes, smearing his eyeshadow only further, he smiled sadly and offered a hand across the table.

Virgil, his throat tightening around the lump in it, reached out with a shaking hand and grabbed Roman’s.

“Sorry,” he muttered, rubbing at his eyes again.

“You don’t have to apologize, Virgil,” Roman said softly.

“It’s stupid,” he said, staring down at the table. “I’m- I’m getting so upset about shit that isn’t even happening.”

“Hey, stop that.” Roman squeezed his hand. “Aren’t you the one who told Patton that whatever he’s feeling isn’t stupid? Or bad?”

Virgil shrugged. “Easier said than done, I guess.”

“Maybe,” Roman said, “But that’s what I’m here for.”

Virgil lifted his eyes to meet Roman’s, and Roman smiled.

“Whatever you’re feeling,” he said, “Is valid. And okay. Not stupid or bad or annoying or anything else that brain of yours is telling you.” 

Virgil’s face heated up but, nonetheless, he smiled. 

“And, listen,” Roman continued, “Even without feeling your… pull, I barely sleep anyway.” He shrugged. “Logan calls it a side effect to my unchecked creativity, but I say that it’s a fun new way to approach writing!” When Virgil let out a laugh, watery but still genuine, Roman beamed. “But what I’m trying to say is… my door is always open. My room can be used to make good things, too, and, if that doesn’t work, there’s always a Disney movie we can put on.”

Virgil sniffed and squeezed Roman’s hand. “Thanks, Roman.”

Roman smiled and shrugged. “It’s what I’m here for.”

Virgil nodded, looking down at the coffee that he never even touched. “And I appreciate it. Really.”

He pulled his hand back and stretched upwards, wincing as his back cracked. “Just,” he continued, “Can you keep this… between us? I don’t want the others to worry.”

Roman nodded. “My lips are sealed!”

Virgil smiled.

After a couple more minutes of comfortable silence, the pair starting to feel the effects of their exhaustion, Virgil yawned and pushed himself back from the table. “Well, might as well get back to my room,” he said. 

He’d be lying if he said that his stomach didn’t sink at the thought of retreating back to his room for another restless night, but-

“Or,” Roman said, interrupting his thoughts, “You could just crash in my room. I have extra… everything. Including face masks!”

“And what is _that_ supposed to mean?” As Roman stumbled through a backtrack, Virgil chuckled and put up a hand. “Kidding, Princey. But, I mean, if you really don’t mind…”

“Virgil, you know me,” Roman said. “If I did mind, I would’ve told you to have fun up in your lair of doom and gloom!”

Virgil nodded. “You would say that.”

“But I’m a changed man,” Roman said, beaming. “So now I say that you can crash in my room so that your dungeon does not take its prisoner for the night!”

Virgil rolled his eyes but couldn’t hold back a smile. “How poetic.”

“It’s what I do!”

Virgil stood up from the table. “It’s a plan, then.” And, as he began to make his way out of the kitchen, he shot a smirk over his shoulder. “If you snore, though, I’m leaving.”

Virgil laughed at Roman’s offended gasp, and went to collect his things from his room.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!!!
> 
> ethospathoslogan.tumblr.com


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